Sojourners - hunger gameshttp://www.sojo.net/taxonomy/term/18595/0
enWeekly Wrap 11.21.14: The 10 Best Stories You Missed This Weekhttp://www.sojo.net/blogs/2014/11/21/weekly-wrap-112114-10-best-stories-you-missed-week
<p><strong>1.&nbsp;</strong><a _fcksavedurl="http://thinkprogress.org/immigration/2014/11/20/3594882/everything-you-need-to-know-about-obamas-executive-action/" href="http://thinkprogress.org/immigration/2014/11/20/3594882/everything-you-need-to-know-about-obamas-executive-action/"><strong>Everything You Need to Know About Obama’s Executive Action</strong></a></p><p><em>ThinkProgress</em>&nbsp;breaks down the immigration relief announced by the president Thursday night. Who gets relief and who is left out? What about border security? Your questions answered.</p><p><strong>2.&nbsp;</strong><a _fcksavedurl="https://secure3.convio.net/sojo/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&amp;page=UserAction&amp;id=905" href="https://secure3.convio.net/sojo/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&amp;page=UserAction&amp;id=905"><strong>Give Thanks; Celebrate Hope!</strong></a></p><p>Offer your thanks and stand behind the new immigration relief measures!</p><p><strong>3.&nbsp;</strong><a _fcksavedurl="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/11/18/dining/thanksgiving-recipes-across-the-united-states.html?partner=rss&amp;emc=rss&amp;_r=0" href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/11/18/dining/thanksgiving-recipes-across-the-united-states.html?partner=rss&amp;emc=rss&amp;_r=0"><strong>The United States of Thanksgiving</strong></a></p><p>Looking for some great recipes for unique holiday cooking? “We’ve scoured the nation for recipes that evoke each of the 50 states (and D.C. and Puerto Rico). [But not Guam!] These are our picks for the feast. Dig in, then tell us yours."</p><p><strong>4.</strong>&nbsp;<a _fcksavedurl="http://www.salon.com/2014/11/20/toni_morrison_completely_schools_stephen_colbert_on_the_topic_of_race/?utm_source=facebook&amp;utm_medium=socialflow" href="http://www.salon.com/2014/11/20/toni_morrison_completely_schools_stephen_colbert_on_the_topic_of_race/?utm_source=facebook&amp;utm_medium=socialflow"><strong>WATCH Toni Morrison Completely Schools Stephen Colbert on Racism</strong></a></p><p>The Pulitzer Prize, Nobel Prize, and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient sits down with Colbert to discuss her works. “Racism is … a social construct. And it has benefits. … But race can only be defined as a human being.”</p><p><strong>5.&nbsp;</strong><a _fcksavedurl="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/21/world/asia/thailand-protesters-hunger-games-salute.html?_r=0" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/21/world/asia/thailand-protesters-hunger-games-salute.html?_r=0"><strong>Thai Protestors Detained After Using ‘Hunger Games’ Salute&nbsp;</strong></a></p><p>“The salute, which in the movies is a daring act of silent rebellion, began to appear here in the weeks after the May 22 coup. The authorities warned that anyone raising it in public could be subject to arrest.”</p><p><strong>6.&nbsp;</strong><a _fcksavedurl="http://colorlines.com/archives/2014/11/portraits_of_everyday_fatherhood.html" href="http://colorlines.com/archives/2014/11/portraits_of_everyday_fatherhood.html"><strong>A New Image of Black Fatherhood [PHOTOS]</strong></a></p><p>These photos capture "ordinary moments that crush white media narratives and stereotypes about black fathers."</p><p><strong>7.&nbsp;</strong><a _fcksavedurl="http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/11/the-cosby-show/382891/?single_page=true" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/11/the-cosby-show/382891/?single_page=true"><strong>The Cosby Show</strong></a></p><p>Ta-Nehisi Coates writes for&nbsp;<em>The Atlantic</em>&nbsp;about his experience covering Bill Cosby in 2006-2007 as he was making the speaking rounds talking about the supposed decline of morality in black communities. At the time, he knew about 13 rape accusations but declined to report on them. Here, he explains what he would have done differently.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>8.&nbsp;</strong><a _fcksavedurl="http://rachelheldevans.com/blog/gender-binaries" href="http://rachelheldevans.com/blog/gender-binaries"><strong>The False Gospel of Gender Binaries</strong></a></p><p>"Jesus didn't die on the cross to preserve gender complementarity. Jesus didn't die on the cross to ensure that little girls wear pink and little boys wear blue. Jesus lived, taught, died, and rose again to start a new family in which Jew and gentile, slave and free, male and female are all part of one holy Body."</p><p><strong>9.&nbsp;</strong><a _fcksavedurl="https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2014/11/19/ntsb-says-government-aircraft-regulations-apply-drones/qcWN9ueADhIESuMyLQMLdK/story.html" href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2014/11/19/ntsb-says-government-aircraft-regulations-apply-drones/qcWN9ueADhIESuMyLQMLdK/story.html"><strong>NTSB Rules that FAA Has Authority to Regulate Drones</strong></a></p><p>‘‘It’s a huge win for the FAA, and signals it’s not going to be the Wild West for drones, but a careful, orderly, safe introduction of unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system.’’</p><p><strong>10.&nbsp;</strong><a _fcksavedurl="https://medium.com/war-is-boring/irans-war-flicks-are-a-cultural-battlefield-22494b87df4d" href="https://medium.com/war-is-boring/irans-war-flicks-are-a-cultural-battlefield-22494b87df4d"><strong>Filmmaking a Cultural Battlefield in Iran</strong></a></p><p>A fascinating look inside the politics an propaganda of film in Iran: “As reformists assert their cultural influence on screen and in the arts, conservatives in Iran are looking to a new set of movies and filmmakers to help suppress reformists and eliminate Western influence in Iranian society.”</p><p><a href="http://www.sojo.net/blogs/2014/11/21/weekly-wrap-112114-10-best-stories-you-missed-week" target="_blank">read more</a></p>bill cosbycosby showdronesfatherhoodgive thanksGod's Politicshunger gamesImmigrationIranStephen Colbertthai protestorsThanksgivingtoni morrisonWeekly wrapWeekly WrapFri, 21 Nov 2014 16:31:07 +0000the Web Editors62551 at http://www.sojo.netFaith-Based Hunger Gameshttp://www.sojo.net/blogs/2014/01/16/faith-based-hunger-games
<p>The central figures in four of the planet’s largest religions – Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Judaism – were all once homeless. Moses was encamped in the Sinai, unable to return to the Promised Land. Jesus was born in a manger. Buddha wandered through the wilderness seeking enlightenment. The Prophet Muhammad was forced out of Mecca.</p><p>Is it a coincidence that each of these figures was, at key parts of his life, dispossessed from the society around him? Hardly. This is a clear message that even the most powerful can be made powerless.</p><p>In both Leviticus and Deuteronomy, believers are directed to give a set portion of their harvest to people in poverty and immigrants. It is neither voluntary, nor are the amounts to be based on charitable whims. It is a commandment to automatically give a specific percent, making it an anti-hunger tax of sorts. In fact, both the Old and New Testaments make it clear that justice is a higher calling than mere charity.</p><p>In Mathew 25, not only does Christ proclaim that those who clothe, house, and feed the “least of these” are engaging in acts equivalent to directly aiding the Lord, he also preaches that those who refuse to aid the poor are consigned to damnation.</p><p>Most secular ethical traditions also make societal actions to reduce hunger, poverty, and homelessness a centerpiece of their teachings.</p><p>Virtually every elected official in Washington claims to abide by these ethical and faith-based traditions. Indeed, many have used their professions of faith to advance their political careers.</p><p>Yet many of these same leaders repeatedly take actions&nbsp;<strong><em>opposite&nbsp;</em></strong>to the values they espouse.</p><p><a href="http://www.sojo.net/blogs/2014/01/16/faith-based-hunger-games" target="_blank">read more</a></p>CongressFaith in Actionfood stampsGod's PoliticsHungerhunger gamesRacial and Social JusticeSNAPSNAP cutssupplemental nutritionsupplemental nutrition assistance programEconomic JusticeThu, 16 Jan 2014 21:17:27 +0000Joel Berg52383 at http://www.sojo.netHunger Is Not a Game: Why I Volunteered to Be a Tributehttp://www.sojo.net/blogs/2013/11/12/hunger-not-game-why-i-volunteered-be-tribute
<p>I cannot start a fire. Often, this is the case even with a dry match in my hand.</p><p>As a person of relative privilege from the West living in an age of microwaves and igniter switches, this would not generally be a problem, aside from the embarrassment such ineptitude might cause. It would, however, be a problem if I were, say, stranded in the East Tennessee countryside and left to fend for myself against an alliance of desperate, vengeful college students.</p><p>Such is the conundrum I face this approaching weekend with my participation in <a href="http://www.cn.edu/hungergames">Carson-Newman University’s third annual Hunger Games</a>.&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://www.sojo.net/blogs/2013/11/12/hunger-not-game-why-i-volunteered-be-tribute" target="_blank">read more</a></p>Carson-Newman CollegeGod's Politicshunger gamesKatniss EverdeenSuzanne CollinsGlobal IssuesLife and PeaceTue, 12 Nov 2013 15:00:50 +0000Dave McNeely51313 at http://www.sojo.netRyan Budget is a Present-Day 'Hunger Games'http://www.sojo.net/blogs/2012/04/18/ryan-budget-present-day-hunger-games
<p>Melissa Boteach of <a href="http://halfinten.org/" target="_blank">Half-in-Ten</a>—the campaign to cut poverty in half in 10 years—is using the Katniss defense against the Ryan budget cuts.</p><p>The world that Suzanne Collins paints in the <em>The Hunger Games</em> is one in which only the strong survive. Those that can’t keep up are cut out, kind of like the Ryan budget.</p><p>One of the radical things about the ethical agenda that Jesus promoted was the place he offered to the sick, the weak and the weary. He flipped common understanding of who was “deserving” and who was “undeserving” upside down.</p><p>The <a href="http://www.faithinpubliclife.org/blog/catholic-leaders-rebuke-paul-ryans-faith-justification-of-his-budget/" target="_blank">Catholic Bishops have now come out</a> with their concerns about the Ryan budget and how it abandons the poor and the hungry. Take a look at Melissa’s chart, what do you think?</p><p><img alt="Half-in-ten" src="http://sojo.net/sites/default/files/budget.png" style="width: 605px; height: 694px;"></p><p><a href="http://www.sojo.net/blogs/2012/04/18/ryan-budget-present-day-hunger-games" target="_blank">read more</a></p>BudgetGOP budgethunger gamesPoliticsRacial and Social Justicerep. paul ryanEconomic JusticeQuick ReadWed, 18 Apr 2012 13:43:39 +0000Timothy King38005 at http://www.sojo.netWhy We’re Hungry for ‘The Hunger Games’http://www.sojo.net/blogs/2012/04/02/why-we%E2%80%99re-hungry-%E2%80%98-hunger-games%E2%80%99
<P><EM>The Hunger Games</EM> books are wildly popular - and controversial. The American Library Association ranks it fifth on the list of most banned books for 2010, mostly because of parental complaints that the books are sexually explicit and violent.</P>
<P>Author Suzanne Collins said she conceived of <EM>The Hunger Games </EM>one night as she flipped television channels from teenagers on a reality TV to teenagers serving in the Iraqi war. She couldn't shake this jarring juxtaposition.</P>
<P>So does the popularity of <EM>The Hunger Games </EM>offer good news for those of us concerned about American civilization and the younger generation? I say yes, for a few reasons.</P><p><a href="http://www.sojo.net/blogs/2012/04/02/why-we%E2%80%99re-hungry-%E2%80%98-hunger-games%E2%80%99" target="_blank">read more</a></p>God's Politicshunger gamesjennifer lawrenceSuzanne CollinsThe Hunger Games trilogyCultureFilmLife and PeaceMon, 02 Apr 2012 20:00:34 +0000Dick Staub37711 at http://www.sojo.netThe Hunger Games Movie Misses the Pointhttp://www.sojo.net/blogs/2012/03/26/hunger-games-movie-misses-point
<p><em>Editor’s Note: This review may include spoilers if you have not seen the movie or read the book.</em></p><p>I really didn’t want to read <em>The Hunger Games</em>. I had resisted the time sucks that were the Harry Potter and Twilight series. I’m too old for such nonsense.</p><p>But about two months ago, my friends settled on the trilogy for our next book club pick. After some initial whining, I gave in. Our last selection was <em>Cutting for Stone</em>—I could use a mental break. Of course, the inevitable happened. I was engrossed so completely that I flew back to Minneapolis for opening weekend and book club.</p><p>Our group of seven twentysomethings settled in with our themed cocktails among the hordes of fans, ready to be wowed. Later at our debrief in the rented-out sky club at my old apartment building—we were <em>serious </em>about this—we settled on a resounding “eh.”</p><p><a href="http://www.sojo.net/blogs/2012/03/26/hunger-games-movie-misses-point" target="_blank">read more</a></p>God's Politicshunger gamesjennifer lawrencestanley tucciwoody harrelsonCultureFilmLife and PeaceMon, 26 Mar 2012 16:57:13 +0000Sandi Villarreal37527 at http://www.sojo.net